Sunday Snow Burst?
Saturday should be a fairly decent day. Sure, temps will be running below average by nearly -10F to -15F for mid/late April, but take a look at the simulated radar from 1AM to 1PM Sunday and note the band of precipitation including a chance of snow working through parts of Central MN and the Twins Cities during the first half of the day. This band of snow could be responsible for some minor and slushy snow accumulations across the state, especially on grassy surfaces.
Minor Snow Accumulations on Sunday
Here's NOAA's NDFD snowfall potential through the the weekend, which suggests minor accumulations across the west-central part of the state. Some locations there could see 1" to 3". Stay tuned!
Twin Cities April Summary So Far
Here's the Twin Cities weather summary through April so far. Note that temps are still running nearly +2.2F above average even with several days of recent cool weather. We're also running -0.17" below average in the precipitation department and nearly -1.5" below average in the snowfall department.
Saturday Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
Here's a closer look at our weather conditions for Minneapolis on Saturday, which shows clouds lingering during the first half of the day, but sunnier skies look to build in through the day with highs approaching the lower 50s by late afternoon. NNW winds will be a bit brisk through the day, making it feel a little cooler than the actual air temperature.
Saturday Meteograms
Here are the meteorgrams for Minneapolis on Saturday, which show temps warming slowly through the 40s through the day and possibly into the lower 50s by the late afternoon. Clouds will linger early in the day, but more sunshine should build in through the day. Brisk NNW winds will gust close to 15mph to 20mph through the day making it feel even cooler.
Cool Saturday Sunshine
The weather outlook for Saturday shows somewhat sunnier skies across the region through much of the day. However, temps will be running nearly -10F to -15F below average for mid/late April with readings only warming into the 40s and 50s.
From Sunday Snow Chances to 70F on Monday?
It's April in Minnesota, which means weather conditions can be quite extreme from one day to the next. Note that Sunday could feature some minor snow accumulations across the state with highs rebounding close to 70F across the southern half of the state on Monday!
Extended Temperature Outlook
Here's the extended temperature and weather outlook over the next 5 to 7 days in the Twin Cities. Highs on Saturday and Sunday could be nearly -10F to -15F below average for mid/late April, but we could pop up close to 70F on Monday and Tuesday, which would be nearly +5F above average. Areas of rain and possibly thunder will linger through midweek. The end of the week looks a bit nicer with sunshine and temps nearing 70F once again.
2021 Ice Out Dates So Far
According to the MN DNR, most MN Lakes are going ice out nearly 2 weeks earlier than normal this season. Thanks to warmer than normal temps and wetter than normal conditions, quite a few lakes have been going ice out. Leech Lake went ice out on April 9, while the average ice out is on April 28th. Lake Winnibigoshish went ice out on April 8th, while the average ice out is on April 26th. Lake Ver Milion went ice out on April 15th, while the average ice out is on April 20th. Mille Lacs Lake was deemed ice out as of April 7th, while the average ice out date is on April 25th. Upper & Lower Red Lake were ice out as of early April, while the average ice out is late April.
See more from the MN DNR HERE:
Average Ice Out Dates Across the State
Here's a look at the average ice out dates across the state. The orange markers across the southern part of the state indicate average ice out dates typically around the last week of March. We typically see average ice out across parts of central Minnesota and around the Twin Cities during the first couple of weeks of April. Folks across the northern third of the state typically see ice out closer to the start of May.
See more from the MN DNR HERE:
Spring Leaf Index
If you look close, so of your backyard trees and bushes have actually started to show signs of spring leaves emerging. According to the NPN, this is happening nearly 2 to 3 weeks earlier than normal across Minnesota and Wisconsin.
"How do you know when spring has begun? Is it the appearance of the first tiny leaves on the trees, or the first crocus plants peeping through the snow? The First Leaf and First Bloom Indices are synthetic measures of these early season events in plants, based on recent temperature conditions. These models allow us to track the progression of spring onset across the country. April 20, 2021 - Spring leaf out continues to spread north across the country. After arriving early in southern parts of Southwest and Southeast states, cold temperatures halted the progress of spring leaf out for several days across the northern part of the Southeast, Southern Great Plains, and mid-Atlantic. Spring leaf out is now arriving days to weeks early across the northern Great Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. Spring bloom has arrived in Southwest and Southeast states. Spring bloom is patchy, with much of Texas days to weeks late, while parts of Kansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana are days to weeks early."
Extended Temperature Outlook
Here's the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next couple of weeks. Temps will be running a little cooler through the weekend, but temps will likely rebound into the 60s early next week.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps for early May across the Southern and Southwestern part of the nation.
Sunday Slush Potential - Springier Next Week
By Paul Douglas
Some days I eat cereal for lunch. Yeah, I'm a freak. I have good memories of cereal + weather. Growing up my dad would leave weather-related newspaper clippings next to my cereal bowl with interesting weather nuggets and trivia. A tropical storm (Agnes) flooding our home helped to get me on my current path, but those clippings went a long way toward fanning my curiosity.
One of many reasons I subscribe to multiple newspapers by the way. Because trusted information costs money. Disinformation is free.
A gray start leads to slow clearing this afternoon, with a metro high closer to 50F. No need to apply sunscreen anytime soon. Counter intuitively, a surge of milder air sets off a smear of rain and wet snow Sunday. With temperatures above 32F Sunday roads should be mainly wet with a coating of slush on some metro lawns, maybe a couple inches west of MSP, toward Willmar and Benson. Lovely.
Hope in a tenuous Minnesota spring will be partially restored next week with more 60s. Flip-flop weather.
Extended Forecast
SATURDAY: Gray start, PM clearing. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 50.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear with patchy frost. Winds: NNW 10-15. Low: 33.
SUNDAY: Light mix. Slushy lawns west of MSP? Winds: E 10-20. High: 40.
MONDAY: Some sun, passing T-shower. Winds: SE 10-20. Wake-up: 37. High: 65.
TUESDAY: Cooler with a few showers. Winds: NE 10-20. Wake-up: 45. High: 58.
WEDNESDAY: Some sun, late shower possible. Winds: NE 7-12. Wake-up: 42. High: 59.
THURSDAY: Drying out. Mix of clouds and sun. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 41. High: 60.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, almost pleasant. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 40. High: 64.
This Day in Weather History
April 24th
1854: It feels like summertime at Ft. Snelling with temperatures in the 80s.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
April 24th
Average High: 62F (Record: 84F set in 1962)
Average Low: 41F (Record: 24F set in 1875)
Record Rainfall: 1.43" set in 1908
Record Snowfall: 0.3" set in 1902
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
April 24th
Sunrise: 6:12am
Sunset: 8:09pm
Hours of Daylight: ~13 hours & 58 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 52 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 5 hours & 34 minutes
Moon Phase for April 24th at Midnight
1.9 Day Until Full "Pink" Moon
"10:32PM April 27th - The grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month were the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and — among some tribes on the east coast — the Full Fish Moon, when shad came upstream to spawn."
What's in the Night Sky?
"Up for a big observing challenge? Try to spot the planets Mercury and Venus coupling up on the sky's dome at dusk on April 24, 25 and 26, 2021. We give you fair warning. The quest won't be easy, even with binoculars. You'll need an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset and crystal-clear skies to view these close-knit worlds in the glow of evening twilight. The real sky will appear brighter than it does on our sky chart, and you probably won't see the constellation Orion until after Mercury and Venus have already set."
National High Temps Saturday
The weather outlook on Saturday shows cooler than average temps across parts of the Central US with temps running nearly -5F to -10F below average in the wake of a storm system that is bringing showers and storms to parts of the eastern and southeastern US.
Saturday Severe Weather Outlook
According to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, there is an Enhanced Risk of severe storms across the Southeastern US, where large hail, damaging winds and even tornadoes will be possible.
National Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook through 7PM Sunday shows strong to severe thunderstorms tracking across the southeastern US with heavy rains. Meanwhile, unsettled weather in the Northwest will send waves of moisture through the northern tier of the nation late weekend and into early next week. More importantly, widespread rain and mountain snow will be possible through early next week in the Western US.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
The extended precipitation outlook over the next 7 days shows areas of heavy rain across the lower half of the Mississippi River Valley and also across the Gulf Coast States where areas of flooding can't be ruled out. Areas of much needed precipitation will also be possible in the Western US.
Extended Snowfall Outlook
Here's the extended snowfall outlook into next week, which shows areas of snow across parts of the northern tier of the nation. There will also be heavier snow potential across the high elevations in the Western US.
Climate Stories
"The Huge, Infamous A68 Iceberg Has Finally Melted Away to Nothing"
"An enormous Antarctic iceberg whose journeys were probably the most well-documented in history has now melted away to nothing in the Atlantic ocean. A68 cracked off the Larsen C ice sheet on the Antarctic Peninsula in 2017 as one of the biggest icebergs ever. At the time, it measured 2,240 square miles (5,800 square kilometers), about the size of the state of Delaware. In the time since, the berg has been buffeted about the South Atlantic, curving up toward South Georgia Island. There, warm temperatures and waves broke it into large chunks. Those chunks have since fragmented into pieces too small to track. The U.S. National Ice Center tracks icebergs that are at least 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) in length or that have an area of at least 20 square nautical miles (68.5 sq km). The largest piece of Larsen C no longer qualifies as of April 16, according to the Center's database: It measured only 3 nautical miles by 2 nautical miles (5.5 km by 3.7 km). A68 was studied and surveilled perhaps more than any iceberg ever before. Thanks to ample satellite imagery, it was obvious when the enormous iceberg first began to crack under the strain of movement (only a week after it broke free from the ice shelf). Earth scientists could see the rifts in the ice and the temperature differential in the water that surrounded it. They watched it get stuck on a seamount not far from where it calved and then pirouette toward warmer waters in a current called the Weddell Gyre."
See more from Science Alert HERE:
"The US electric power sector is halfway to zero carbon emissions"
"Renewable energy's rapid growth is accelerating a national shift to a carbon-free electric power system. So far 17 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have adopted laws or executive orders setting goals for reaching 100% clean electricity by 2050 or sooner. And 46 U.S. utilities have pledged to go carbon-free. Now the Biden administration and some members of Congress are proposing to decarbonize the power sector by 2035. While this much change in 15 years seems ambitious, our new report, "Halfway to Zero," looks back at the past 15 and finds that power sector emissions are half of what they were projected to be. We analyzed the "business as usual" projection in the 2005 Annual Energy Outlook published by the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. government's official agency for data collection and analysis. It projected that annual carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector would rise from 2,400 million to 3,000 million metric tons from 2005 to 2020."
See more from The Conversation HERE:
"This climate policy expert is taking over Jeff Bezos's $10 billion Earth Fund"
"It's a momentous week for action on climate change. On Thursday, the White House is convening 40 world leaders for an Earth Day summit where the United States is expected to announce new commitments to curb its greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Washington Post, the US is considering doubling its previous target, cutting emissions 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. In doing so, the US — the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter — would end up committing to the largest cuts in emissions in the world. Many other countries are also not sitting idle. Major economies like the United Kingdom, the European Union, and even China have their sights set on zeroing out their greenhouse gas emissions entirely. Others plan to ramp up their ambitions from the tepid goals set in the wake of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The accord aims to limit warming this century to below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, with a more ambitious target of 1.5°C. It's been a struggle to get to this point, with decades of stops and false starts just to get countries to agree to limit climate change at all, not to mention the last four years of US backpedaling under Donald Trump. Now, scientists say the world has less than a decade to get on course for meeting the 1.5°C goal. Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are poised to rise again this year as economies rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic."
